Being the Change – Spiritual Story by Jason Randhawa

Throughout his entire life, Ozwald was considered to be a sage by most of the people who knew him. Although he was a very introverted kid, even from an early age he was regarded as being wise beyond his physical years. He was introverted because of the many inner connections he felt with nature and the entire universe. The young boy was fortunate enough to grow up in a small town that was immersed in nature. Calum lived with both his parents and an older sister.

The true interconnectedness he felt in nature made him frequent the local mountains, forests, and rivers. As a teen he would spend days hiking through the nearby forests and kayaking the local rivers. The strong connections he felt with nature did not allow him to leave any trash behind. The human race continued to pollute, litter, and basically rape the Earth. Although the overwhelming majority of people continued to treat the Earth as an inanimate object, Ozwald refused to fall into this thinking.

In fact, his love of animals was so intense that he couldn't even fathom the idea of eating meat. He found the idea of inhumanely killing and eating animals repulsive and barbaric. Although nobody in his family had ever been a vegetarian, the day his sister told him that meat came from dead animals, Ozwald refused to eat meat for the rest of his life.

Though the world continued to pollute the earth and destroy nature, Ozwald continued to be the change he wished to see in the world. Regardless of what the media portrayed, deep down he knew that humans were taking a lot more out of nature then they were putting in. He understood that this was not a sustainable future, and an environmental crisis was likely.

Most importantly, he could feel that humanity's assumptions that the earth worked like a machine and that humans were separate from nature would have to be disposed of in his lifetime. He strongly believed that if we don't realize our deep connection to Mother Earth as a great living entity the world as we know it would eventually be destroyed. In Ozwald's mind the Earth was an entire living system where each human was comparable to an individual cell in a living body.

Yet for some reason, with his incredible intelligence Ozwald continued to nurture nature and show his love for nature in silence. It wouldn't be till much later in his life when he would revolutionize the world.

Throughout high school, Ozwald was a rather quiet kid. Although he got excellent grades, he was never loud or outspoken. He had a silent confidence about him, but he was nowhere near being conceited. He never spoke his mind or opinion out loud unless it was asked of him, which made him seem very shy to the other more loud and social kids.

He was extremely calm and collected for a teenager. He was never one to resort to violence. Even in school when he was confronted by a bully, he would not cower nor would he put up his fists. Instead he non-violently fought back with a philosophy similar to Gandhi‘s. He was willing to get beaten to a pulp, before he would even consider resorting to violence. Pretty much everyone in school understood him as a kind, loving, bright, young man.

During high school, Ozwald held a part-time job working on the local organic farm. This farm was a very large organization. It was one of a kind, supplying all the produce for the entire town. Most importantly, the entire operation was completely sustainable. It was one of the few revolutionary businesses at the time. It was owned and run by an awakened businessperson named Mark.

Like Ozwald, Mark also felt his connection to nature, yet he was able to succeed in a world where the majority of people saw nature as some resource that they owned. Environmentalists like Mark, thought of nature as a living sentient being. Unlike most of humanity at the time, environmentalists felt that humans should go back to living in harmony with nature.

Mark was raised by his father, who was a brilliant businessperson and keen entrepreneur. Mark picked up on this financial intelligence and combined this with his fondness for nature to create a prosperous life within his generous morals. He believed that a lot of money was necessary in order to change the world.

Ozwald, on the other hand, understood that greed and money were a big part of the environmental problem. This led him to believe that one should not accumulate excess wealth. That was until one particular incident left a big impact on him, which for some time changed the purpose he gave his life.

One Friday evening, after a day of school and then a few hours of work, Ozwald happily skipped to the bank. He should have been exhausted, but Ozwald was too excited to be tired since he had just gotten his paycheck.

As he left the bank, with his cash in hand, he began walking home. He decided to take a shortcut through an alleyway to make it home in time for dinner. Ozwald was very hungry, so he was too rushed to notice that a man had been following him from the bank for quite some time.

Within seconds of entering the alley, Ozwald had been thrown to the ground and was getting kicked by a drugged-out homeless person named Elian. Not one to fight back, he simply lay there with his face fully exposed. As he was getting stomped, his heart could only feel bad for the poor man who was willing to physically hurt a fellow human being in order to get some money.

Seeing the sadness in Elian's eyes, he immediately reached into his pocket and handed the poor man all of his cash. Although he was all bloody, Ozwald immediately took off his jacket and handed it to Elian, recalling that winter was on its way. The homeless person quickly left the scene, running back in the opposite direction.

After Ozwald caught his breath and recovered from the multiple blows he received to his face, he got back up and continued walking home.

He had given the man that mugged him, everything he had. For the next two weeks, he managed to live without any of his own income. He had become accustomed to having this money to spend every two weeks. Now he had to eat all his meals at home, and he was not able to get anything that he felt he needed for two weeks. Although he was not poor, he had temporarily lost the material standard of living he was used to.

Ozwald was quick to move on and learn from this experience. Throughout and after this incident he remained calm and loving. He was able to grow from what many would call a “bad” experience, as he felt that everyone who comes into your life has an important lesson for you.

As a result of the incident and his beliefs surrounding such negative encounters, he came to the conclusion that his main goal in life for now was to experience financial freedom, so that he would not be forced to spend the majority of his life trapped in the rat race. He never wanted to feel like he didn't have enough money again. Ozwald never forgot the look of desperation in the eyes of the man who had jumped him. He resolved to never be controlled by a need for money. He also resolved to have all the money he would ever need to give to those who truly needed it.

After graduating from high school, he began to work full time with Mark in the organic farming business. He was planning on saving enough money to get a university degree, but that never happened. Almost ten years after working with Mark, Ozwald had learned all he could learn about money and the revolutionary organic farming business that Mark had started up, initially as an environmental experiment, in this small town.

Ozwald had saved up a lot of money, but rather than going back to school, he used this money to directly buy out Mark's business. Mark was getting older and had already begun planning for his retirement. Mark had secretly been training Ozwald to take his position as the owner of the company and he was ecstatic when Ozwald made him the offer.

As soon as Ozwald came into control, he began to acquire various plots of land, gradually spreading across the continent at first, and then eventually the world. As a result of his resolutions about money, Ozwald made a lot of sacrifices. He never really got into a serious relationship nor did he settle down to raise children. He considered himself his own family. He was an excellent leader, who always led by example. As his company got bigger, Ozwald became a better leader. He was an extremely hard worker; normally he put in 80 to 90 hour work weeks. He was very motivated and highly determined. He was determined to manifest his dream of revolutionizing the farming industry.

He frequently sought the advice of Mark, who although was now retired, from time to time served as his advisor. One important piece of advice Ozwald acted upon was funding a scientific research project into an even more environmentally efficient method of farming. This led to many breakthroughs, which led to farms that actually put more into the earth than they took out. In a very real way this method for organic farming actually did something to help heal the earth.

Soon, the laws turned in favor of sustainable operations. No longer were these environmental-friendly businesses punished by having higher expenses and getting beaten out of the market by cheaper competition that had no problem killing the environment for a little more money. New green laws were passed by the government because the situation became so harsh that the people at the top finally realized that their generation would have to deal with a major environmental crisis.

Over the years of growth, Ozwald had finally manifested Mark's master plan of creating a worldwide network of sustainable organic farms. Ozwald's environmentalist corporation provided the entire world with a large amount of their food supply.

Although he had help along the way, in his lifetime Ozwald pretty much single-handedly revolutionized the way we grew and even distributed our food. After putting in some of the longest years of his life into making his revolutionary new organic-farming model into a multinational corporation, he abruptly resigned and surprisingly sold off his multibillion dollar empire to another rich philanthropist. This man named Jack Wells had been serving on the board of directors since Ozwald grew the business, and surrounded himself with a mastermind group of brilliant, like-minded people. Jack was a multibillionaire in his own right, he was the richest man in the organization's mastermind group and he was happy to use his fortune to acquire this empire. Ozwald trusted Jack to continue to use awakened business practices in organizing the growth and distribution of a large amount of the world's food supply.

The remainder of Ozwald's life was spent in near solitude, resting in a completely sustainable home that worked similar to nature. At the time, this house was the first of its kind. It was completely environmental since it worked in complete harmony with nature. This secluded mansion was completely powered by renewable resources, and equipped with its own organic farm. It had some of the most advanced heating and cooling technologies. Many of the remarkable, green features of the home were based on research into this ground-breaking technology, which he had himself funded with a small percent of the extensive fortune he had made.

Although the house was costly, Ozwald understood it was simply another small experiment that could someday save humanity and its existence on Earth. It was not until a few months later when it seemed that he was not returning back to society, many people began to question his reason for such a sudden departure from city life, his business and even his friends and family.

Over the past few years, Ozwald had created quite a stir in the media because of his radical, yet spiritual acts of kindness and power. By the time he sold his business he was pretty much a celebrity, being the first truly awakened businessperson to make huge difference in the world. With all the money he raised from selling his business, now more than ever, wise people prophesized he would change the world and save humanity from itself. He had something special, people noticed it whenever they talked to him, and they felt it just by being around him.

Ozwald declined dozens of interviews from the media, and even refused to answer the barrage of questions from his closest friends about his reasons for going into solitude. As it turned out, a year and a half later one morning his sister came to his compound for a visit. His sister was one of the few people Ozwald let into his sacred space. This time was different, immediately upon seeing Ozwald his sister gasped in horror. He was incredibly weak and frail, not at all the strong brother that she once knew.

Ozwald knew he was going to have to explain himself, because he felt this could be his last chance. That morning he revealed the secret he had been keeping away from everyone. This secret had forced him to sell his business, move away, and focus on himself.

He told his sister everything … When acting as CEO for his green corporation he was constantly working under a lot of stress. After having some strange sensations in his body for many years, he decided to meet with his doctor. He had some of the best doctors in the country run various tests, and he was notified that he had developed a lethal form of cancer. Worst of all, it had already spread throughout his body and there was not much that science could do for him. The doctors told him he only had a few weeks to live. Basically, they gave him a death sentence. He refused to fall for this trap, and began to build the green compound that they were sitting in. His passion for the environment was all that had kept him alive.

He continued to explain the entire situation to his loving sister, who was already in tears. He explained that he had to leave everything and go into silence to work on self-healing. Triumphantly he had prolonged his time by over a year, but sadly he knew he was getting weaker.

As his sister became enraged he explained himself saying, “I kept this from everyone because I did not want people feeling bad for me. I consider myself extremely lucky to know what I know and to be who I am.” This is why he had moved away to die, he simply refused to slowly die in front of everyone. He did not want their pity, nor did he feel that he deserved it.

He spent the day with his sister explaining to her all that had happened on his inner journey of healing and self-discovery. He planted in her some very wise words and important spiritual concepts. The next day, he passed away.

His sister immediately notified his closest friends and family. Many of whom, were initially very upset since they did not even get a chance to say there final words to him while he was alive. But they all knew what kind of a person he was, and felt that they had made peace with him a long time ago. There was only one person who felt he had not yet made peace with Ozwald. This person heard of Ozwald's shocking death from the media, and he desperately felt the urge to attend the memorial service.

A grand memorial service was organized by his closest friends and family members; this included many of the people running his organic farming empire. This service was open to the public and the details were broadcasted by the media. It was hosted at the local arena in the town where he grew up. It was a gigantic ceremony, with over two thousand people squeezed into the small stadium.

Jack Wells was the first person to give a speech. This confident man captivated the audience with stories that illustrated the brilliance and loving nature of Ozwald. Jack even promised humanity that he would continue to use awakened business principles to run the organic farming empire Ozwald worked so hard to build. He assured the public that he would never resort to killing the environment just to make a few extra bucks. According to him, the operation would continue to be fully sustainable.

Ozwald's sister gave the last speech. She gradually explained all that Ozwald had told her a few days before. She had no notes; she simply spoke from her heart. Her voice was very clear, while being loud and confident. This was not the usual voice she spoke with; it had an amazing effect on the listeners. Everyone was deeply focused on hearing and understanding all she said. She spoke the details of Ozwald's self-healing process of inner discovery, mixed in with the profound words of wisdom Ozwald had shared with her.

She continued her speech with the succession plan, which Ozwald had laid out in his last few days. He had decided to donate the billions of dollars he left behind into funding research and development projects for creating a sustainable future. In accordance with Ozwald's final wishes, his multibillion dollar fortune was to be used for basically stopping humanity's continual rape of Mother Earth.

Just as the eulogy appeared to be over, an elderly man whom nobody immediately recognized emerged from the crowd and approached the stage. This aged man looked very vulnerable. Upon arriving at the stage he asked if he could share a few words. Without even knowing who he was, Ozwald's sister showed kindness and handed him the microphone.

“Today I would like to share with you a story about how an encounter with Ozwald completely changed my life,” the elderly man started. He continued, “Many years ago, I had no money, no home, and I was addicted to some very hard drugs. The one thing I did have was desperation and anger. One night I brutally attacked a young stranger, who turned out to be Ozwald. This mugging was not like anything I had ever experienced before. Rather than showing anger or violence back to me, this wise, young man showed me compassion and love.” As it turned out, the mysterious speaker was Elian and he was the one person who felt he had not yet made peace with Ozwald.

He went on saying, “I was so dumbfounded when he just laid there with his face exposed. If he had hit me back, I would have hit him harder. I understood that, but I didn't know what to do if someone refused to fight back. Even when he handed me his money, I wasn't sure if I should have kept it or not. Regardless, the jacket he gave me ensured my survival through the winter, and the money he lovingly shared with me was used to pay for drug rehabs and to buy some food. I had originally planned to use this money for more drugs, but it was on that night when Ozwald came into my life when I realized that I did not like who I had become. As I was ruthlessly beating him to a pulp, I became sickened with myself. He taught me the true meaning of compassion and unconditional love. As a result, my life completely changed, I became drug-free and I started my own charitable clinic that provides free health care and rehab for homeless drug addicts. With the help of some local philanthropists I have already helped to transform the lives of hundreds of people, just like Ozwald did for me.”

“I would like to end with a few words of wisdom, that if every single person were to live by, the world itself would become heaven,” he announced. “Be kind even when you hurt. Be generous even when you have nothing. Be compassionate even when somebody is rude. Be loving even if someone is resorting to violence. Be gracious even when everything you have, including life, is taken from you. Be the change you wish to see in the world.”

As Elian ended his speech, he looked up into the crowd and saw tears of joy in the eyes of almost everyone listening. People were getting up and hugging each other. Cheers rang throughout the stadium.

Even after his charitable work, it wasn't until that point that Elian finally felt he had made it up to Ozwald. Although unknown to Elian, his encounter with Ozwald had indirectly changed the world for the better. Since Elian was the man who indirectly caused Ozwald to pursue money, rather than run away from it.

Everyone in attendance of the event left feeling deeply connected to all of nature, including each other. The videos of the speeches made at the memorial were spread across the internet by the people in attendance. This created a chain reaction that distributed the videos globally like nothing before. These speeches left a big impact on everyone who heard them. Through the internet, the recordings had the dramatic effect of uniting the world together.

A network of leaders and free thinkers emerged as a result of these profound speeches given at Ozwald's funeral. These people along with Jack Wells, Elian, and Ozwald's sister rallied even more to have the laws changed in the Earth's favor. The billions of dollars Ozwald left behind for this cause was greatly needed, and wisely used. Eventually when the world was truly united, they were able to set up a completely sustainable world. Every house was based on Ozwald's sacred green compound he built in the mountains. The majority of humanity had a major paradigm shift, and basically went back to living in harmony with nature.

The future generations who get the opportunity to physically exist on Earth have one person to thank for ensuring they got that chance. That man was Ozwald and all he did was be the change he wished to see in the world. He was a phenomenal man, and he will always be revered for the man that he was.

Jason Randhawa wrote this story shortly after completing the “Conscious Chronicling” spiritual writing program. Before that, he had never written a short spiritual story in his life. Jason is a lightworker living in Canada.